Numerical analyses of RAPD data highlight the origin of cultivated tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus ssp. palmensis) in the Canary Islands.

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to generate molecular markers to trace the origin of the fodder legume tagasaste (Chamaecytisus proliferus (L. fil.) Link ssp. palmensis (H. Christ) Kunkel) in the Canary Islands. Results from multivariate analyses of data through "Two Way Indicator Species Analysis" (TWINSPAN) and "Detrended Correspondence Analysis" (DECORANA) showed that genotypes collected on the island of La Palma exhibited a wider range of variation than those from the other islands. This supports the existing hypothesis that tagasaste originated on La Palma and emphasizes the importance of conserving and evaluating germ plasm from this island.